Damn. That description at the beginning ... "do you hate being alive this much" really says it all.
There is no way to numb out the negative without also shutting yourself off to aliveness and vitality. There are exceptions, but by and large the "feelings" button is an on/off switch...
This was an incredible read. We live in a time where we have so much information about the pathology and neuroscience of why we feel miserable, but it’s not very helpful for finding the way out of your misery. It could be a first step, but it’s the first step in many. It's more about being present, self-aware, and supported enough to have faith that you know the way out, and unfortunately, no one else can uncover that path for you. Overall, a very thought-provoking piece that I will definitely be returning to for reference in future discussions.
I’m glad you liked it! No one can uncover that path for you, but people can help guide you to a path—I can’t recommend Turning the Wheel of Truth enough (and will definitely write about it more in the future!)
I think a big part of this is that human baseline social interaction is probably way more what the average 20 something male in a corporate job experiences.
Loneliness is terrible but dealing with loneliness is a long term project. It is also generally the best use of your time until you are able to exit the above cycle not through discipline but through social connection and/or obligation.
I would say that loneliness is kind of a stand-in for any negative feeling of your choice—Buddhism developed long before corporate jobs did because people have been suffering forever. And weirder, there’s a distinction between feeling lonely and being alone. (Not to invalidate what you’re talking about, which is very important.)
1. Buddhism as practiced is very different from philosophical buddhism
2. I think loneliness is different. Its primal and primarily replaced by social media / podcasts / youtube. I sometimes toy with the idea that to hear someone’s voice in a noninteractive way is one of the original sins of modern media, especially when video is tied to it.
3. I don’t think being alone is the issue, part of this is that people need to be motivated to invest more mental energy in existing friendships, which is harder with an easy dopamine switch. Its making your life rich with the trenches of other’s lives
2. I think this is fair. I'm still trying to untangle this myself, because there's this very intangible element to loneliness that does seem different from other forms of suffering. I'm only now realizing that even monks seem to strive together in community.
3. I also think this is fair. I instinctively want to resist this though, because I think that allowing myself to be alone helps me realize when I want to spent more time with others vs when I'm enjoying being alone. Easy dopamine switches (especially parasocial content) blurs that line even more, because it's hard to feel properly alone or together with people when you're listening to something like a podcast...
I really enjoyed the ideas you've shared. It's clear that the essay is written by you - a human - which is more than can be said for the essays that get restacked and liked over 5000 times, despite being AI-written slop. It's great with new ideas instead of '10 ways to become dangerously articulate'.
Damn. That description at the beginning ... "do you hate being alive this much" really says it all.
There is no way to numb out the negative without also shutting yourself off to aliveness and vitality. There are exceptions, but by and large the "feelings" button is an on/off switch...
I had to learn that lesson about the on/off switch the hard way in high school! A story for another time…
I was surprised this didn't have more likes and comments! Excellent read and exactly how I have been feeling for a long, long time. Too long.
Thank you! It’s been slowly picking up traction so I think it’s resonating with people
This was an incredible read. We live in a time where we have so much information about the pathology and neuroscience of why we feel miserable, but it’s not very helpful for finding the way out of your misery. It could be a first step, but it’s the first step in many. It's more about being present, self-aware, and supported enough to have faith that you know the way out, and unfortunately, no one else can uncover that path for you. Overall, a very thought-provoking piece that I will definitely be returning to for reference in future discussions.
I’m glad you liked it! No one can uncover that path for you, but people can help guide you to a path—I can’t recommend Turning the Wheel of Truth enough (and will definitely write about it more in the future!)
I think a big part of this is that human baseline social interaction is probably way more what the average 20 something male in a corporate job experiences.
Loneliness is terrible but dealing with loneliness is a long term project. It is also generally the best use of your time until you are able to exit the above cycle not through discipline but through social connection and/or obligation.
I would say that loneliness is kind of a stand-in for any negative feeling of your choice—Buddhism developed long before corporate jobs did because people have been suffering forever. And weirder, there’s a distinction between feeling lonely and being alone. (Not to invalidate what you’re talking about, which is very important.)
1. Buddhism as practiced is very different from philosophical buddhism
2. I think loneliness is different. Its primal and primarily replaced by social media / podcasts / youtube. I sometimes toy with the idea that to hear someone’s voice in a noninteractive way is one of the original sins of modern media, especially when video is tied to it.
3. I don’t think being alone is the issue, part of this is that people need to be motivated to invest more mental energy in existing friendships, which is harder with an easy dopamine switch. Its making your life rich with the trenches of other’s lives
1. Curious to hear more about this.
2. I think this is fair. I'm still trying to untangle this myself, because there's this very intangible element to loneliness that does seem different from other forms of suffering. I'm only now realizing that even monks seem to strive together in community.
3. I also think this is fair. I instinctively want to resist this though, because I think that allowing myself to be alone helps me realize when I want to spent more time with others vs when I'm enjoying being alone. Easy dopamine switches (especially parasocial content) blurs that line even more, because it's hard to feel properly alone or together with people when you're listening to something like a podcast...
I really enjoyed the ideas you've shared. It's clear that the essay is written by you - a human - which is more than can be said for the essays that get restacked and liked over 5000 times, despite being AI-written slop. It's great with new ideas instead of '10 ways to become dangerously articulate'.
I’m glad you liked it! And yes, isn’t it interesting how fresh and relevant the 2,400 year-old ideas feel?